Sondra: A Dystopian Fantasy Series: 2121, #2

By Chariss K. Walker

You have already met Salazar, a descendent of Serena McKay, in the first book.
Now, meet Sondra, a gifted Seer, psychic, and precognitive, As one of 12 survivors who followed Salazar and Miki to the underground tunnels on that first terrible night that August City faced apocalyptic annihilation, Sondra's ability will help lead the remaining survivors.
After the wealthiest citizens were spirited away to safety in spaceships, the remaining population is left to die as they face extermination. First, an unprovoked and unprecedented air raid where their city is bombed to hell. Then, biological warfare when a toxin that changes their DNA is released.
Sondra's ability is vital to the continued survival of this ragtag group of men, women, and children. Together, these survivors gather over two thousand others who managed to live through the nightmarish devastation.
Together, they have formed a society in an underground city they named Eden.
But, can they continue to survive?
•The effects of the biological weapon are now evident.
•It has caused terrifying changes in people, animals, and plants.
•These factions war against each other, fighting over perceived territories.
Will their rivalry be the end and death of both sides?
Find out what happens next. Scroll up to preorder your copy now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chariss K. Walker
• Release date: Nov 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223024606

Chariss K. Walker

Chariss K Walker, M. Msc. B.R.A.G. Medallion and Readers' Choice award-winning author, Chariss K. Walker, M.Msc., Reiki Master/Teacher writes both fiction and nonfiction books with a metaphysical and spiritual component. Chariss is a storyteller. She doesn’t use a computer program to write her books. Instead, she sits down at her keyboard and listens to her characters as they lead her through their stories. Those are the stories you read in her published books. Her fiction expresses a visionary message that illustrates growth in a character's consciousness while utilizing a paranormal aspect. Her nonfiction books share insight, hope, and inspiration. Even though Chariss also writes dark-fiction books about insanely dark topics, there is always an essential question of the abstract nature that gives a reader increasing awareness and perception. All of her books are sold worldwide in eBook, and paperback, and many are in audiobook. You can learn more about Chariss at her website: www.chariss.com.

Book preview

Prologue

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Three months ago,

An unprecedented attack began in August City and lasted for three days and nights. The air raid leveled all government and industrial sites while Starliners fled Earth, carrying the elite and their most prized possessions to safety.

Sixteen-year-old Salazar watched as the bombs fell in the distance and the spacecraft launched. Seeking shelter from the devastation, he recalled the stories his grandmother, Serena McKay, told him about tunnels that led beneath the city. Hoping for safety from the air raid that blasted August City, he led Miki, his mother, to those tunnels.

Miki didn't want to go with her son. She wanted to wait at home for her husband, Rob, to return from his job in Summerhaven. Salazar convinced her that Rob would find them, that he would want them to survive

Twelve people who also wanted to survive had secretly and cautiously followed Salazar and his mother into the tunnel entrance located near the border of Fallhaven and Winterhaven.

Meanwhile, anyone still alive after the air raid was exposed to pinkish toxic fumes that were part of the assault. It was a biological weapon used to affect their most vulnerable DNA. Some immediately fell dead after inhaling the poisonous gasses because the toxin inflamed their predisposed diseases. Some noticed that their natural abilities were heightened. For others, however, it was very different. When the toxin enhanced their negative DNA, they turned into raving, savage beasts now called Kolowa.

Phillip Beardsley, one of the first twelve to follow Salazar and Miki into the tunnels, also turned into Kolowa. He escaped from underground to join a pack of the beasts living in the bombed-out ruins at the edge of Winterhaven and Fallhaven where he remained a constant threat.

After the air raid ended, Salazar, along with Sam Lightfoot and Jesse Slater searched nearby areas for survivors. That first day, they led a group of one hundred people into those tunnels to find a new home. They named their new home Eden.

The Kolowa banded together in packs. They viciously attacked human survivors at every opportunity to kill and eat them.

Eden continued to grow as more survivors were found. Salazar gathered all able-bodied men and trained them as soldiers while Dinah Terrell demanded to be included. She was granted the right to train any women who also wanted to protect Eden.

Dinah Terrell discovered that the Kolowa with head injuries stayed dead while those with bodily injury, no matter how severe, healed and walked away. She proposed to Salazar and his men that the most effective method to kill the Kolowa was to cut off their heads.

Since Jesse excelled at swordplay, Salazar commissioned him to teach all the men and women under his and Dinah's command the art of swordsmanship.

Sondra Clearwater was eight weeks pregnant when she followed Miki and Salazar into the tunnel entrance. It was immediately noticed that she also possessed astonishing intuitive powers. Now, with her belly growing round with child, the other residents revered her as the first woman who would give birth in their new community. They also valued her as a great Seer and Oracle.

Salazar was just a young man trying to find shelter for himself and his mother. Now, he was the undisputed Commander of Eden which currently housed over two thousand surviving men, women, and children.

Miki was the only child of Serena McKay, the wife of Rob Hunter, the mother of Salazar, and the granddaughter of Henry Stevens. Now, for all intents and purposes, she was a widow and the Matriarch of Eden.

Although Henry Stevens was long dead, he appeared in separate visions to his grandson and Sondra. He shared a great deal with each of them about the future of their new society and he taught them how to use their newly enhanced abilities from the heart.

Survivors also crawled out of the rubble in Summerhaven to form their own group. During the time it had taken Eden to grow to a society of over two thousand, this group only held thirty survivors, consisting of twenty-five men and five women.

One month ago, it rained for the first time in decades. At first, it brought joy and hope to the survivors. Rain meant that the earth was healing. It meant they could grow crops and feed themselves. But soon, the effects of the rain caused fear and worry. It mixed with the pink toxic fumes and its runoff affected everything it touched. Since then, plants, especially vines, had overtaken the district and grown at a disturbingly alarming rate. If the vegetation had been poisonous before, now it could be lethal.

Three weeks ago, Sam Lightfoot left Eden to visit his tribe and he had not been heard from since.

1| Attribution

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Nineteen-year-old Sondra Clearwater was the darling of Eden. With intuitive powers that the other residents couldn't fathom, the petite and cherubic young woman was sought out often for the benefit of her clear sight. She was their Seer, their Oracle.

Everywhere she went, people whispered their reverent greetings to her, Good morning, my dear Sondra. Have a blessed day. How are you and the baby doing today?

Although it was true that she could see distant and past events, she was often at a loss as to how to interpret what she saw. She had not yet acquired the wisdom needed for that aspect of her gift and often relied on the late Henry Steven's wisdom to help her. He came to her in spirit each time she had questions.

Sondra could see events that were far into the future and past. She could also view places or people from a distance that were happening right now. She used her ability to help the other council members to navigate obstacles that might arise in the development of their new society. The Council was made up of the first survivors to follow Miki and Salazar into the tunnels that first night,

On the first night they met, Henry's spirit immediately taught her how to meditate. This exercise opened her mind and intuition to the connection above her head. It joined her crown chakra with all consciousness which allowed her to receive a clearer transmission. However, as with any practice, it took time to master such a gift.

Sondra immediately saw the benefits of meditation and began to teach others who were interested. She taught the group to clear their minds and visualize water falling from the sky and onto the parched land.

To help them imagine it accurately, she had enlisted the help of Eden's Educator, Freddy Knowles. Together, they had set up a sprinkler system in the room as a visual aid to show the group what rainfall might look and feel like.

That demonstration was of great benefit because no one alive could remember when it had last rained, or for that matter, none had ever seen rain. They only knew that water was a crucial factor in restoring health to their dry, thirsty planet.

Sondra wasn't perfect, and as many new teachers did, she made a few mistakes along the way. She was learning too. However, her heart was pure with pure intention. She truly wanted to be of service to the members of her society.

Not knowing any better, the meditation group had simply joined hands, minds, and hearts to envision healing for Mother Earth. They had imagined the rain falling exactly as the sprinkler demonstrated, and voila, it had happened almost overnight. Her meditation group was duly credited with August City's remarkable and uncommon first rainfall.

It was a miracle.

There was power in any group of people when they joined together for a like-minded purpose. And even though they could have never imagined the consequences or the way those events would unfold, they were pleased that their endeavor had paid off.

Of course, some skeptics and cynics didn't believe that such a thing was possible even after it happened. It was far easier for them to call the occurrence a coincidence, a chance happening, while even a superstitious few called it witchery.

Still, for the most part, Eden's residents hoped that there was something out there that was greater than they were, that listened to them and would help them. They secretly prayed that there was some all-knowing, all-powerful being that watched over them, cared for them, and ultimately looked out for them.

Surviving such devastation as the lengthy air raid and then the disturbing effects of the toxic mist caused them to wonder how and why they were still alive. And since they were alive, did that mean they had some, as yet, unknown and unfulfilled purpose?

They asked the age-old questions: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose?

Those who had time to ponder these notions also wanted to believe that a greater power watched over them. And if so, did this power have a plan for their lives? They wanted to believe that miracles could happen and hoped that it was so.

It was easy to admire and love Sondra. She was kind and helpful. She was intelligent and quite lovely with amazing sapphire blue eyes that seemed to see everything. Soon, everyone was also aware that her belly grew round with the first baby of Eden... It was a miracle too.

As an Oracle, she was imbued with great knowledge and foresight. All the leaders came to her with their questions. Even Salazar, the Commander, sought her council.

As a Seer, the title alone demanded their respect for not only could she perceive what their new community needed, many thought her startling blue eyes could see what was in their minds and hearts... and her abilities caused both fear and reverence.

2| Time Measurements

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Time in Eden was marked by two periods now: before the rainfall and afterward.

Before the rainfall, there were no plants to speak of and very few other creatures. Any insects, birds, and animals sensing the impending disaster fled the city before it arrived.

After the rainfall, when the runoff brought even the most dormant species of plants and vines back to life, these fast-growing mutated floras sent out signals that brought the rest of the animal population home again.

Before the rainfall, when residents had wanted to see what was left of their very different world located above Eden, they were allowed to go topside for brief intervals... but only during the day and only when accompanied by one or more of Salazar's trained soldiers.

After the rainfall, everything above ground drastically transformed. Whether it was living or dormant didn't matter. If the slushy pink rainwater was absorbed by it or fed it, then it changed. What was once considered merely unsafe above them was now deemed extremely dangerous.

The Kolowa were not the only threat they now faced. Everything was affected by the poisonous toxin as soon as it became part of the groundwater.

The few animals that lived in the city before the bombings returned. Cats, dogs, and birds that had once been kept as pets were scarce in the previous society. The ones that came back now were feral and threatening after the runoff was absorbed into their systems. Now they repopulated at an alarming rate. And all of the changes happened quickly.

Other animals, the natural wildlife such as deer, bears, and raccoons, could now be seen closer to the city as if testing its boundaries. Their glowing red eyes and bristled furs were scary. They too had either drunk some of the runoff or absorbed it through their feet.

Since the pink mist was a concentrated effort of the intense bombing August City had suffered, its damage was predominantly within the city walls. As far as anyone knew, the air raid had begun in Summerhaven, then it took out Springhaven next, and finally Fallhaven. However, since Winterhaven wasn't much of a threat anyway, the assault had tapered off when reaching its border. Any areas outside the four districts, whether east or south was generally not affected.

Armed with that information, Salazar had searched the perimeter and found arable land outside the city limits. He called for Freddy's assistance and after a few lab tests, it was determined that the area was not adversely affected by toxins.

Freddy assessed that if they could dig a well for irrigation, the land would be suitable for growing crops. Tom Baker and Joseph Alcroft were assigned to engineer such a project.

News of this new venture quickly spread and many volunteered to help. Excitement about the prospect of gardening grew in Eden. Some wanted to help as a means to be outside. The opportunity to breathe fresh air again was as appealing as any other motive.

Salazar, Sam, and even Jesse had been among the many others to consider the rain a true blessing. They quickly credited Sondra's new meditation group with that success.

Despite the many changes that took place immediately afterward, rain was still the most crucial element needed to heal the planet. No one could argue with that. However, those who had planned the assault and immediately left to seek shelter and safety on some other planet had a contingency plan for almost everything that anyone could imagine.

They, the proverbial they, who had fled the earth intending to kill every living thing on the planet, had also considered every possibility. They knew there were those with special talents. They suspected that any who banded together would try some mumbo-jumbo tactic to heal the earth. Calling down rain was the most likely scenario and they had laughed about the big surprise that rainfall would offer the scraggly band of survivors.

No matter what any of those left alive could do to postpone their inevitable demise, there was some other unknown and unseen consequence that would prevent them from truly living. The mist would not, could not, dissipate on its own. It was designed that way.

Still, Eden had hope.

It was the one element that the elite had not considered. And hope was not easily defeated.

The survivors hoped to do better, be better, and live better than they ever had before. It was something they would not easily abandon because hope and faith were now very much a part of their new community's structure.

It was that hope that spurred Tom and Joseph to engineer the irrigation system. Under the protection of Salazar's soldiers, they had worked for weeks to accomplish the task.

After the irrigation system was completed, it was that hope that immediately sent Sam Lightfoot on a two-fold mission. He was to make certain his tribe was safe after the initial attack and to bring back seeds for Eden's new gardens and continued survival.

Salazar didn't like the idea of Sam leaving the safety of Eden but he would have never ordered him to stay. He understood the reasons that Sam needed to go better than anyone and he too hoped that Sam would return unharmed.

3| Presently

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At the moment, a group of men and women who had studied gardening techniques from the many books that Freddy provided were above ground. They had volunteered to farm the land Salazar found just east of the city walls. While under heavy guard, they carefully tilled the soil one small plot at a time, removing any roots, stems, and pieces of earlier vegetation and shrubs.

Next, they sowed the seeds they had found in an area that Eden's former occupants used as a hydroponics section. Only a small portion of the nutrient-based water system was still working, mainly because there weren't any more nutrients left to feed the plants.

However, some of the seeds for that system had been carefully sprouted in preparation for this day and were now seedlings. Those fragile plants would be carefully transplanted with hopes that they would mature and soon provide the fresh foods their community desperately needed.

The gardeners would also prepare seedbeds in hopes that Sam would soon return with more seeds. They hoped that those he brought back had not been genetically modified with the Terminator Gene. If a seed had that gene, it meant they were sterile and would grow only one crop of food. If they weren't sterile, once those seeds matured into plants and vegetables, they would provide all the seeds and cuttings needed for future crops.

The gardeners worried about that aspect but some were worried